Extract from EBAY
TWO THATCHING DOCUMENTS FROM RURAL KENT IN 1919 AND 1921.
I HAVE FOUND VERY FEW DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE CRAFT OF THATCHING BUT HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES. THEY ARE FROM VERY CLOSE VILLAGES IN RURAL EAST KENT- ONE IS WOODNESBORO AND THE OTHER IS COPPER STREET, ASH.
Kent rural crafts, Kent artisans, History of Rural Kent, East Kent in the early 20th century. Country people from the Sandwich Ash woodnesborough region of Kent.
THE 1919 PIECE.
This is an invoice from F.H Hougham - Thatcher and Trusser of Cooper Street Ash, Canterbury (Ash is also described sometimes as “Ash Next Sandwich”)
In December 1918 he supplies 7 bundles of Thatch Wood at 3/- a bundle to Mr P.L. Hadaway and he acknowledges receipt of the payment of £1 1/- on the 17th of January 1919.
THE 1921 PIECE
This is an invoice sent to the shame man, two years later- Mr P. L. Hadaway but here the vendor is H. Davison of Fleming farm Woodnesborough, Sandwich.
Here 8 bundles of thatchwood are being sold at 3/6 per bundle and he acknowledges receipt on April 4th 1922 of £1 8/-.
Presumably this is not thatching straw or thatching reed- unless that was called locally, thatching wood. More likely these are the staves and withies with which the thatch is pegged and stapled in.
They are not working as Thatching contractors so it must be assumed that P L Hadaway could thatch himself or that he was a thatcher too and was here buying in the raw materials - one lot from another Thatcher of ash and the other from a Woodnesborough farm.
GENERAL.
Thatch was not as extensive in Kent as in sume places- such as Devon and East Anglia. Slate and tile had long been used as the standard roofing material for houses and generally thatch was used on the timber farm building and on the smaller rural cottages.
I suppose a trusser is either a bundler up of hay stooks or a hay rick maker.
TWO QUITE UNUSUAL DOCUMENTS CONCERNING THE CRAFT OF THATCHING CONCERNING- I SUSPECT AT LEAST TWO LOCAL THATCHERS- Mr HADAWAY AND Mr HOUGHAM, AND ONE FARMER SUPPLYING WITHIES OR PEGS- FARMER DAVISON OF WOODNESBOROUGH.

Registered for identity card in 1939 thatcher and general farm worker of Hills court cottage Eastry